1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to treatment, handling and disposal of construction or demolition debris. More specifically, the present invention pertains to methods of handling, treating and disposing of lead paint contaminated construction or demolition debris.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, many building material surfaces were painted with lead based paint. The material or substrate on which the paint was applied could have been wood, gypsum, particle board, glass, etc. The paint is usually absorbed into the porous substrate material, making it impossible to mechanically remove all of the lead paint by sanding or scraping without removing significant amounts of the substrate.
Ingestion or inhalation of lead is a serious health hazard for both children and adults. Children are more likely to encounter lead from its use in residential surroundings. Although adults are less likely to ingest lead paint, they may inhale lead dust or vapors from soil residue, the sanding or scraping of lead paint and other work related activities. As stated, lead paint is not easy to remove from the substrate to which it is applied, particularly wood. If removal of the paint is attempted by scraping or sanding, power tools may be used, exacerbating inhalation or hazards and releasing large amounts of lead contaminated dust into the atmosphere, requiring costly controlled methods of preventing contamination to the surrounding environment. Even after such precautions, substantial amounts of lead paint may remain absorbed by the substrate.
After certain periods of time, many building structures are demolished. The debris, often contaminated by lead paint, must be disposed of under applicable environmental regulations. If the debris includes lead based paint or other hazardous materials, it should, under properly interpreted government regulations, be treated as contaminated hazardous waste. Handling and disposing of such hazardous waste involves expensive and time consuming treatment, transportation, storage, disposal and documentation procedures.
In the past, lead paint contaminated debris has been improperly disposed of in municipal landfills or solid waste disposal facilities by not performing testing or by testing a composite sample of lead paint on underlying substrate of wood or other materials. Because the paint is only a few mils thick on a much thicker substrate, e.g. 1 inch to 4 inch wood, the results of such a test may be determined to be non-hazardous by virtue of dilution. This method of disposal clearly violates regulations which require that if listed hazardous waste is mixed with non-hazardous waste, the mixture thereof is to be considered hazardous.
There are improved methods of handling construction and demolition debris so that the debris can be disposed of in landfills or recycled for road bed materials. Examples of such improved methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,181,803; 5,288,171; 5,314,266 and 5,320,450. All four of these patents pertain to methods of disposing and/or recycling of construction and demolition debris. However, these patents do not deal with debris containing lead based paint, it being stated therein that materials which pose an undue risk to public health or the environment, such as industrial waste or by-products, paint, tar, solvents, creosote, adhesives and the like are typically excluded from construction and demolition debris. To exclude materials which have been covered with lead based paint is to exclude, in many cases, large quantities of such materials which must be processed, handled and disposed of in much more expensive ways. Thus, a real need exists for disposing of lead paint contaminated demolition debris without having to perform expensive procedures of the prior art and in such a manner as to permit disposal which meets both the spirit and the letter of regulatory intent. Such methods which would remove or stabilize hazardous material in a relatively inexpensive way should find great acceptance in the industry.